Broken Rose
by Spunky0ne
Summary: In the wake of the Thousand Year Blood War, Byakuya comforts a distraught Renji...Byakuya/Renji, Ichigo/Tetsuya...yaoi, mpreg
1. Chapter 1

**Broken Rose**

 **By Spunky0ne**

 **(This one's a short fic I thought up while listening to "Broken" by Lifehouse. Byakuya comforts a broken Renji after the trauma of the quincy war. Bringing this one back for Sesh! I will have an update coming soon. Love, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Byakuya moved slowly through the sea of injured soldiers and noble civilians who lined the expanse of the nearly destroyed Kuchiki Manor gardens, his grey eyes calm, but unbearably sad as he witnessed the result of the war being called the Soul King Protection War. The untruth sat like a stone in his belly, but he knew well that the ones occupying his home had enough to worry about without adding the fact that the king their families served was now the dead body of the one who had done this wickedness to them. While certainly there might be some redeeming irony in Ywach both succeeding and failing in his mission to become king, there was no amusement as he passed the clumps of people gathered around the dead and dying, and the hurried efforts of the sea of healers, trying to save any they could. He heard a familiar voice loose a soft, muffled sob nearby and turned to find his half-noble cousin kneeling at the side of a little girl he had been trying to heal. The girl's noble father knelt on the other side of the girl, holding the girl's mother against him as the women cried silently into his shoulder.

"I know you did the best you could, Tetsuya Kuchiki," the man assured Byakuya's cousin, "Thank you for trying so hard to save her."

Tetsuya's lips moved, but he couldn't seem to speak. Byakuya laid a calm hand on his cousin's shoulder and Tetsuya let out a whisper of breath, calming slightly.

"How are her brother and younger sister?" Byakuya asked the man.

The other noble took a steadying breath.

"Kimiko is in recovery and is expected to live. Akira never returned from the battlefield."

Byakuya nodded in understanding.

"I am glad for Kimiko and you have my deepest sympathies for Rika and Akira," he said sincerely.

He turned his attention to his exhausted cousin.

"Tetsuya, will you come with me?" he inquired.

His cousin gave him a distressed look, but followed him a short distance away from the grieving parents.

"There are still so many injured," he said in a strangely disbelieving tone.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed sadly, "Not everyone took the precautions that we did before the fighting began. But, there are more healers here now, and your reiatsu is weakened from overuse. You need to rest if you wish to continue assisting the healers."

Tetsuya looked back at him wordlessly, his blue eyes still conflicted.

"Tetsuya?" said a male voice from behind Byakuya, "Tetsuya, is that you?"

Tetsuya's sapphire eyes widened and seemed to fill instantly with new strength.

"Ichigo!" he exclaimed, "You're back!"

He surged to his feet and the two young men crashed into each other's arms. Ichigo grabbed Tetsuya's weary face in his hands and kissed him hungrily.

"You okay?" he asked between kisses, "I heard there was an attack on the encampment before you guys moved everyone here. I was worried, cause I knew you'd be out there, leading the fighters."

"I'm fine," Tetsuya assured him, "We only stayed until the rest of the family escaped, then we took an evacuation route to get here. I've been assisting the healers with the refugees from the other noble families and the injured soldiers who keep arriving here."

"Tetsuya must rest now," Byakuya said, meeting Ichigo's eyes meaningfully, "He will need to return in the morning, but if Kukaku Shiba has room in her home for him to stay…"

"I've got him," Ichigo answered, giving Byakuya a little nod and lifting Tetsuya into his arms, "I'll take care of him."

"Thank you, Ichigo," Byakuya said quietly.

He watched as the shinigami substitute carried his cousin off, then headed to where a small group of officers knelt together beneath a small canopy. At his approach, Rukia broke from the group and met him a few steps away.

"Brother," she greeted him, "I heard you were making rounds."

Byakuya nodded.

"Have you eaten and rested?" he asked, studying her carefully for a moment.

"Yes, Brother," she assured him, "Orihime healed my wounds, then we both ate and rested. I was about to wake her up so we could relieve some of the other healers."

"Very well. Just see that the two of you continue to care for your needs and do not overtire yourselves. The injured will continue to arrive intermittently. We need as many healers as possible at full strength to heal them."

"Yes, Brother," Rukia said, bowing respectfully, "We will see that we take care of ourselves."

"Have you seen Renji?" Byakuya asked, looking around, "I sent him to assess the condition of the sixth division some time ago. Has he returned or contacted you?"

"No," Rukia answered, following his gaze around the teeming gardens, "I hope he didn't run into trouble. Should I go and look for him?"

"No," Byakuya said, giving a quick shake of his head, "your healing skills are needed here. Please continue to care for the injured. I will find Renji."

"Yes, Brother," Rukia replied, turning back toward the group of officers.

Finding the area too crowded for flash stepping, Byakuya wound his way among the rows of injured, then past the burned wreckage of the main house and into the debris strewn courtyard. He passed through the collapsed gates and flash stepped out onto the road, pausing to meet the leader of another group of injured about to enter the manor grounds.

"Lieutenant Hisagi," he greeted the tattooed vice of the ninth division, "where was this group found?"

"They are all from your headquarters, Captain Kuchiki," Hisagi said in a low, rough voice, "We found a large number of deceased there, and these were trapped when the barracks collapsed. We've dug out most of the living. Lieutenant Abarai stayed behind to catalogue the identities of the dead."

Shuuhei paused, measuring his words.

"Sir, he…seemed pretty upset."

"As one would imagine, after seeing such senseless loss of life," Byakuya mused, "There is room in the east gardens for these incoming. Just let the interior guards know you have arrived."

Byakuya stood quietly for a moment as the group filed past, their faces reflecting mingled devastation and weariness. Several quaking hands reached out in his direction, the pained eyes still reflecting pride as they sought his. He touched which hands he could reach, his solemn gaze meeting theirs, and his lips speaking the name of each of his injured subordinates as they passed. He waited until the last had gone before resuming his journey to the remains of his division headquarters.

He was still several streets away when he began to feel Renji Abarai's reiatsu. It began as a burn on his skin, radiating along his arms and flaring on his cheeks, making the pale skin flush with the heat. An undercurrent of intense pain, bordering on madness seeped into his insides and he felt a throb of worry for the usually brash, but sometimes emotionally feral redhead as he closed in on Renji's position.

 _I have felt Renji's burning rage before, and I have felt his sadness and pain when he lost comrades in battle. He always burns with passion, whether that is expressed as love, hatred, fear, sadness or righteous indignation. What I feel in his energy now is far more primal. Something has shocked him to the point of near insanity._

He has always been disturbed by the thought of Renji being in pain, even at times when he, himself had caused that pain.

 _During Rukia's incarceration and near execution, I was angry with him for letting his emotions make him so reckless as to challenge me when his body had only recently been healed from his violent clash with Ichigo. But even as I added physical pain to the pain that was flooding his heart, my own heart ached._

And Byakuya's heart pounded and ached in his chest as he reached front entrance of their headquarters and found only smoldering, hulking ruins.

"Renji!" he called out, sensing the redhead somewhere ahead of him, amidst the smoking wreckage.

Hearing no answer, he forged ahead, throwing charred hunks of wood and shattered bricks aside as he sought to reach his distressed vice captain.

"Renji!" he called out again.

This time he heard Renji's voice. Not an answer, but a deep, guttural sound of agony and accompanying reiatsu pulsation that radiated powerfully all around the surprised noble. Byakuya's heart pounded fitfully as he closed in on Renji, his dark grey eyes locating his lieutenant kneeling in front of a collapsed section of the building, what clothing he wore rent from the punishing work of extracting injured and dead bodies, and haphazard, seeping cuts, marring the mix of golden tanned flesh and bold black tattoos. He was bared to the waist and covered in dirt and blood, bowed forward and clawing at the ground in front of the trapped bodies of several very young soldiers that a group of nearby officers had been protecting from the invading quincy soldats.

"Renji," the noble breathed more softly.

Byakuya's insides clenched as he saw the quiver that went through the anguished redhead's body at just the sound of his voice.

"Sorry, Captain," Renji managed in a raw, ragged hiss.

He tried to say more but couldn't seem to speak as pain tightened his throat and stung his reddened eyes.

"Why are you apologizing?" Byakuya chided him quietly, "Barely more than a week ago, I sat, welcoming these advanced students from the academy, into our ranks. And now, they lie, as broken as the future we promised them. You may not realize, Renji, but this pains me as much as it does you."

"Yeah, I know," Renji managed in a tortured whisper, "I just wonder how you do it sometimes. How you stand there and look so calm, like nothing gets to you. I know it does. I guess I'm just not strong like that. I see this and my guts feel like they're being ripped out. I feel like I can't breathe. My eyes sting so bad I can barely see. How do you fuckin' ignore all of that and…?"

Byakuya wasn't sure exactly when he had decided to move, but he found himself kneeling in front of the devastated redhead and looking into Renji's strangely fierce, but crying eyes.

"You don't want to be like me," the noble said, escaping Renji's almost violent gaze to remove a bottle of water from his pack.

He dampened a washcloth from within the pack and reached for the redhead's teary, sweating face. Renji objected instantly, reaching out to push the noble's hand away.

"What're you doing? You don't have to…"

His eyes flitted to the ones that still laid, entangled in the ruins of the building.

"We shouldn't be wasting time!" he exclaimed anxiously, "We've gotta get them out!"

Byakuya followed his gaze, his hands paused in their task as he absorbed the words. He discovered a few moments later that he had stopped breathing at his subordinate's exclamation, and he took a dragging breath and put the cloth down.

"I know they said it was too late. It's getting dark," Renji reasoned, "But, I don't wanna leave them in here. Wh-when I got here, there were already vermin that w-were."

Renji's voice choked and his chest heaved for a moment. Byakuya frowned and handed him the wet washcloth.

"Clean your face, Renji," he scolded the younger man.

Before Renji could answer, Byakuya turned and laid his hands on the mangled debris around the soldiers' bodies. His reiatsu swelled around him and he looked back at Renji warningly.

"Move back."

Renji crawled backwards quickly as Byakuya hissed a sharp command and a sea of pink petal blades erupted around him, surrounding the trapped bodies and holding still for one breathless moment before crashing down together. A moment later, the bodies laid on the ground in front of them, coated in splinters and ash. Byakuya gazed down at the young men for a moment, then he used a kido spell to clear the bits of debris and moved forward. He laid the men side-by-side, then set a kido barrier around them. He looked back at Renji, who sat with the washcloth still unused, his mind spinning at what his superior had just done. Byakuya ignored his confounded look and returned to the redhead, kneeling in front of him and stealing the washcloth from his hands.

"You don't have to do that," Renji complained, blushing as Byakuya's slender hand rubbed the cooling cloth over his face and throat, "I was gonna…"

"You are obviously exhausted," Byakuya scolded him gently, "and you have been injured."

"It's just cuts and scratches," Renji sighed, "Nothing like what they…"

"Stop," Byakuya said firmly, "They have been freed and are protected. We have cared for them, and now we must take care of ourselves."

"Yeah," Renji huffed, giving him a skeptical look, "When did you last eat or rest?"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Mind your tongue, Lieutenant," the noble said sharply, his hands remaining gentle, even as his voice hardened, "Sit still."

Renji went silent, watching as pale green light flared around Byakuya's slender, graceful fingers and pale palms. The redhead flinched as the power touched his face and very slowly, a long, jagged cut along his jaw faded. Renji's burning eyes closed, but he could feel the careful movement of those soft, determined hands as they passed over the cuts on his muscular shoulders, restoring order to the bold lines on his skin, then carefully cleaning away the grime as they moved gradually downward. He was nearly asleep and his mind spinning when he felt the healing power fade and the cold of night reached him.

 _How long have we been here like this?_

 _It was still daytime when he arrived._

"Come," Byakuya said, making Renji blink and squint, shaking his head to clear it, "we should find shelter for the night."

"Is there room at Kuchiki Manor, or…?"

"We are under curfew," Byakuya explained, "We will need to make ourselves as comfortable as we can here, until morning."

He started to help Renji to his feet, but the redhead lurched away, teetering as he rose, but managing to get onto his feet.

"I'm okay," he said stiffly.

He could feel his legs shaking under him and he had to clench his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering, but he said nothing, only following as Byakuya led him back to his mostly destroyed quarters. They found that the bed was damaged, half collapsed, but still usable. Renji fell onto the bed with a resigned sigh and he pulled the tattered covers over himself, curling into a ball to ward off the rising chill in the room. Byakuya searched for several minutes, but failed to locate any other salvageable bedding. He returned to the dozing redhead and paused, then he slipped his haori off and laid it gently over Renji.

"What're you doing?" Renji snapped, sitting up suddenly, "It's cold, Captain! You need that."

Byakuya gave him an offended look.

"Go to sleep."

He turned and exited the room, leaving Renji staring at the place he had been. For a moment, Renji considered following, but as soon as he moved, his abused body stiffened and throbbed, and he dropped back onto the bed, groaning.

"Fuck!"

He panted heavily, trying again to get out of the bed, then his eye caught a little flicker of repressive kido that Byakuya had set around him to keep him in bed.

 _Damn it! He knows how much I suck at breaking seals like that. And why fucking bother? Where the hell am I gonna go? My apartment collapsed and we're under curfew anyway. The guys out there are taken care of…_

He drifted off, his tattered mind still achingly full of the memories of the young recruits' faces and voices. He remembered too, how he and Byakuya had gone through the academy recommendations together, selecting each with a purpose in mind.

 _I didn't know we were just setting them up to die! They just needed a few weeks…that's all. A few weeks and they would've had a chance at least of escaping. They were taken down all at once, without even being able to put up a fight. And the ones who were protecting them died too._

Renji sat up suddenly, his heart pounding and his body shaking all over as the image of one squad member invaded his thoughts. He heard his own sarcastic voice scolding the younger man about his footwork, about his budding shikai and especially about his incompetence handling hell butterflies.

"Rikichi!" he gasped, staring blindly into the air in front of him.

He sat for a moment, his chest heaving and his senses extended, trying to find some hint of the presence of the younger rank and file soldier that had idolized him so much that the sixth division placement was all he would consider.

 _The kid stood up for me when I fell to Captain Kuchiki's sword. I started giving some attention to his training after that, but I still treated him like shit. The last time I saw him, he was retreating from where Captain and I were getting set to fight As Nodt. I haven't heard a thing since then._

 _Where is he?_

Renji swallowed hard, glaring at the kido barrier Byakuya had placed. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to his feet. He staggered across the room, stumbling on the broken furniture and shattered glass. He reached the doorway and threw his reiatsu against Byakuya's barrier, snarling determinedly.

"Break, you son of a bitch!" he screamed, throwing his body against the restrictive barrier, "Damn you, BREAK!"

He heard the sudden sound like glass cracking, and the seal broke, sending him crashing down onto his knees in what was left of the hallway. He started to climb to his feet, only to feel Byakuya's icy hands wrap around his wrists and dark, furious grey eyes fix him in place.

"Stop, Renji."

The words still sounded calm, but there was an unfamiliar desperation beneath them. That was all that stopped him as he froze, glaring into Byakuya's powerful, stern gaze.

"I gotta find…!" Renji sobbed, "He's out there, god knows where. I can't just sit here and wait until morning. He…they may not have til morning!"

"We are under curfew. For everyone's safety, we must not leave until morning," Byakuya said firmly, "And if you are…"

"FUCK THAT!" Renji roared, shoving the noble away with his hands and an eruption of feral reiatsu.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as Byakuya's face was lit with the red shine of Renji's power and his normally calm features reflected a moment of surprise, before he tumbled away and crashed down onto the broken floor, breaking even more of the damaged wood as he landed. He was on his feet again in a heartbeat, flash stepping wildly as Renji fled and catching him around the waist as he reached the bare bones of what had been the front door of the Squad Six Headquarters. The redhead fought him, but the weight of the hours of searching and excavation of broken bodies, the strain of all of the fighting and the devastation of losing the soul king and being sworn never to speak the truth to anyone all slammed down on him, leaving him in a heap, lying limply in his captain's cold arms, crying uncontrollably, his reiatsu burning at their already damaged clothing and seething against their skin.

"Rikichi!" Renji sobbed, burying his face in Byakuya's torn clothing that somehow still smelled comfortingly of sakura.

"I was trying to tell you," Byakuya said soothingly, "I received word that he is safe, at the thirteenth division with his younger brother, Ryuunosuke. His brother and a close friend were injured, so he wanted to stay close to them. I sent my permission for him to do that. I was going to tell you when you returned to the manor."

Renji's body calmed slowly, his chest still heaving with silent sobs and his hands clenching as he worked to regain control of himself.

"Sorry," he managed roughly.

It suddenly reached the redhead that he was doing something he had never dared to do.

 _I've never actually dared to put my hands on him…well, except to fight him that time. I always wondered if his hair and skin were as soft as they looked. He always seemed less like a normal shinigami and more like a transcendent. When he compared himself to the moon during our battle, I thought it made sense. Cold and beautiful, that's how he seemed. But his hands weren't cold when he was healing me. And his eyes weren't so distant._

Renji felt a little jolt go through him as he registered the icy hands that still held him.

"You're cold, Captain."

Byakuya looked back at him as though measuring the words before answering.

Renji managed a teary smile.

"Your hands are cold."

Byakuya took a quick breath and released him. The noble regained his feet and smoothed his dusty, torn uniform.

"Go and rest, Abarai."

 _He's distancing himself, using my last name like that. He doesn't want me to see his discomfort, even though mine is spilled out all over the place. He always does that._

 _But not this time._

"It's freezing, Captain, and there's not a shred of bedding left not burned, except what's already in my room." he said in the calmest voice he could manage, "You're cold too."

Byakuya stood, silently looking back at him, his breath misting the air as he exhaled.

"Then, we will share our body heat to stay warm," Byakuya said in a voice that made it sound to Renji like it was just the most logical decision and not something that should squeeze the breath out of his chest and make his eyes cross, "Come, Renji."

He still felt the dregs of powerful emotion tugging at him, but he dragged himself to his feet and stumbled back to his room, his curious eyes watching as Byakuya laid down on his side and beckoned Renji closer. The redhead laid down on his side, facing away from the noble.

"Lie still," Byakuya directed him, wrapping his body around Renji's back, "I will warm you with my body."

Renji didn't dare say how many times he had dreamed about just such a thing, or how hard his heart was pounding. He knew he must be blushing and was relieved that Byakuya couldn't see his very red face.

 _Although, it was probably red anyway from when I was crying in front of him._

 _Fuck…_

"Oh my god, that's so much better!" Renji groaned, barely resisting turning his head to touch more of the silken, sakura scented hair that teased the side of his face.

"I thought you said I was cold," Byakuya teased him, giving him a reproving look.

"Not when you're like this," Renji chuckled, wiping a tear away from his eye.

"Abarai…"

"Sorry, Captain. No offense, but…you are really warm right now."

"And you are exhausted, Lieutenant," Byakuya scolded him, "Go to sleep or I will change my mind, get out of this bed, and we can both freeze tonight!"

"S-sorry!" Renji laughed, biting at his lips and closing his eyes.

His heart still ached as he thought about the fallen soldiers just a few hundred yards away.

 _But it comes with being soldiers. I guess I should be more like Captain Kuchiki, but no matter how hard I try to bottle my feelings, I always end up losing control of my reiatsu and frying myself and everything around me, and I cry anyway. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me._

 _I'll never be like him._

 _He said it best. I'll always be like a stupid monkey, splashing down into the water, chasing the moon's reflection. I'll never actually touch that perfection._

The warm, close feel of Byakuya's body against his back struck him with a sudden, bracing thought.

 _But, the moon is touching me…_

The thought brought an unbidden smile to Renji's lips and he fell asleep in Byakuya's warm, comforting grip, still smiling sadly.

 **(AN** This is a short fic, just a few chapters. In the next, Renji finds himself caught in a nightmare…)**


	2. Nightmare Becoming

**Chapter 2: Nightmare Becoming**

 **(A late birthday present for my dear friend and writing buddy, SesshomaruFreak! Thank you for helping me to write part of your own gift! lol You are the best. Love you!)**

Even anchored in Byakuya's strong, comforting arms, Renji moved restlessly in his sleep as savage dreams assaulted his mind. One after another, the lost friends from his childhood paraded in front of him, and he witnessed again, in full detail, the horrid circumstances of their deaths. Their pained eyes found him, despite the darkness around him, and their voices haunted him relentlessly. They called out to him, begging for his help, first those old friends from the Rukongai, then the young recruits who had fallen within the protective walls of their own division.

And if their faces and voices weren't enough to drive him mad, his mind was then assaulted with images of his surviving friends and loved ones suffering heart rending deaths. He watched as a huge, monstrous hollow swallowed up a screaming Rukia, then as a sword was thrust through Ichigo's back and Ichigo dropped onto his knees, his eyes round with disbelief and blood exploding from his ruined chest. He watched helplessly as his friend, Tetsuya was swallowed up by a horde of quincies, listening to his screams as the gentle half-noble was torn apart by the frenzied enemy.

And worst of all was the fate that befell his beloved taicho. He strained to move, but was roughly restrained as Byakuya's lovely petal blades were cruelly stolen again. Over and over, Byakuya's slender body was rent by wave after wave of his own petals that tore at his flesh, destroying his beautiful face and tearing apart the fine porcelain flesh. Renji howled and roared as he watched the flesh being torn away until there was nothing left but a grotesque set of bloody bones.

"Renji!"

Byakuya's voice shattered the grip of the nightmare and brought Renji back to his partially destroyed quarters, where he and the noble laid, sharing their warmth amidst the chill of late night. When he first looked, the redhead's eyes only saw the ruined skull from his nightmare and he screamed incoherently, barely hearing his taicho's admonitions to calm down. Byakuya's strong arms held him more tightly, and slowly it dawned on Renji that those arms, though bruised, were still whole. He first kissed those arms, sobbing with relief, then he shoved Byakuya down on his back and climbed on top of him, crashing his mouth onto his taicho's and kissing him almost violently.

Tears still streamed down his face as he kissed his superior voraciously, tasting tea and a sweetness that perfectly suited this man. Through the blurry tears, he registered Byakuya's eyes were wide and surprised, but...to his surprise, the noble was kissing back, strong arms still tight around Renji, anchoring him.

Renji sank into the moment, desperate hands seeking bare skin as he broke the kiss for a gasp of air. Then he dove back in, demanding and pleading at the same time for comfort. Byakuya responded beautifully, writhing provocatively as a slender hand and graceful fingers sank into the tortured warrior's autumn hair.

Any coherent thoughts he had left scattered like Senbonzakura. His searching hands found warm skin, and he tore his lips from Byakuya's to attack the older man's pale throat. In his quest to touch more of the slender, perfect body under him, he heard clothes ripping. It distantly occurred to him that Byakuya might be pissed later about his clothes being shredded, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Panting, he sat up just a bit to tear at his own garments, desperate to be skin-to-skin with the noble. Byakuya lay in the weak moonlight, reaching for him. Renji could barely feel the cold anymore, but saw a light shiver shake the lithe frame of his superior. He dropped back down, pinning Byakuya with his warmth.

He kissed Byakuya again, feeling his own needy desperation echoed in the soft lips and demanding tongue. The noble needed this just as much as he did.

He moved to the slender throat again, lifting his fingers to the soft, damp lips. There was a brief moment of hesitation, a blip on his radar, then Byakuya was licking and sucking his fingers. The sensation went right to his already throbbing member, and he growled as he bit down on sensitive flesh. Byakuya moaned around his fingers, and he felt hard nails dig into his shoulder blades.

Renji couldn't wait anymore; his need for comfort was overwhelming, as was his desire to provide it. He lowered his hand between slim thighs, raising his head to meet Byakuya's dark eyes. Slowly, he sank his fingers into the tightest heat he'd ever felt. The noble quivered under him, and Renji kissed him, murmuring, "'S ok, I'm not gonna hurt you."

He wondered how long it'd been since Byakuya had been with a guy - probably before the war, at least. But however long it had been, he put himself easily into his comrade's hands, moving with him as though their joining was as natural as breathing.

Renji prepared his superior carefully despite his impatience. The air still positively hummed with passion as they exchanged deep, hungry kisses, then Renji pressed his fingers deep. Byakuya gasped, arching under him as red and pink reiatsu flared around them.

Renji was practically trembling with need now, and he removed his fingers as he slid into position between the perfect, muscular thighs. He groaned long and low as he pressed himself into the lovely noble. Such tightness! Such heat!

Byakuya was breathing hard as Renji sank all the way in, and he felt the older man clawing at his back. He paused, giving them a few ragged, stinging breaths, then he began to move his hips slowly, pushing in deep and savoring the way it made his lovely superior moan into his mouth as they kissed and thrust against each other. Byakuya could be a cold hearted man, but inside, where he freed Renji to explore, he was positively melting.

"B-beautiful!" Renji sobbed, "So…so damned hot!"

Byakuya mumbled something unintelligible, continuing to rake his fingernails along Renji's strong shoulders and down his back as the redhead's body pounded his relentlessly. But as deep as he sank in, it didn't feel like enough to the tortured warrior, so he pulled back for a moment, coaxing Byakuya onto his belly, then he pushed inside again, lifting the noble's hips off the bed as Byakuya pressed back against him, gasping out his name and shredding the already damaged bedding with his clawing fingers.

The heat between the two men swelled and it felt to Renji like he was enveloped in it, and carried away into the most powerful, enthralling climax he had ever experienced. He came with an agonized sob, filling the noble with his seething release as Byakuya groaned and painted their still writhing bodies with his own loosed seed. The two officers collapsed, with Renji's lanky form splayed out like a rug over the exhausted noble's, and the redhead's mouth offering more tender kisses and gentle whispers of love and gratitude as they hovered near sleep. Renji swallowed hard as it began to break through just what he'd done, and he looked into Byakuya's quiet, silvery eyes for any hint it could have been wrong.

"Are…are you okay?" he managed after several minutes of silence, "I didn't hurt you, did I Taicho?"

"No," came the soft reply, "I am fine, Renji."

"You aren't angry?"

"No," Byakuya said calmly, "I felt that we both could benefit from the comfort…and the warmth. You did nothing wrong…nothing that I did not choose to allow. Try to sleep now."

Even then, sleep came slowly. If not because of the fears and the horrid memories, then because of the feeling of slight disbelief that the man he had admired and sought so hard to reach was finally naked and buried in his arms. And Byakuya looked as though he was meant to rest there, breathing slowly and letting his hands tenderly caress Renji's body as he drifted off.

 _As bad as it feels, dealing with the hell that the quincies brought down on us, to have him here, to have him holding me…letting me hold him. I never dreamed that something like this could happen. I felt before like I was falling…lost and out of control. It still hurts like hell and I feel just this side of crazy with the pain, but this…being with him and feeling him with me…it makes me peaceful again. I can hope. Things will never be like they were, but there'll be a tomorrow. I can close my eyes…and I can trust in that._

 _Thank you._

 _Thank you, Taicho._

XXXXXXXXXX

Having allowed himself a few short hours of rest, Tetsuya left the warmth of Ichigo's bed and slipped out onto the balcony of the carefully protected Shiba estate. He looked up at the troubled sky, shivering a little in the cold moonlight as he reached out with his senses.

"Tetsuya-san?"

Tetsuya glanced over his shoulder at his attendant and nodded for the young man to join him.

"Do you feel it, Koji?" he said softly, his breath misting on the night air, "So much pain. Such desperation. I feel it and I wonder what to do. The healers down in the infirmary camp cannot keep up with the number of injured that arrive. I should go and help them."

"But you know you need more rest," Koji objected.

"I am fine," Tetsuya assured him, smiling sadly, "I slept enough to restore myself. Any more would be indulgent."

Koji nodded.

"Then, if you are going, I will go with you. I can help with the healing too."

"I am sure they could use the assistance," Tetsuya said approvingly.

They stepped back into the bedroom, where Koji dressed, then swiftly assisted Tetsuya. Several minutes later, the two flash stepped down from the second level, moving carefully across the grounds and greeting the night watch to be cleared for passage to the infirmary camp. Accompanied by two of the Shiba house guards, they made their way into the camp, passing a number of the white tents before reaching the staging area, where the Shiba house healer coordinated the group tasked with healing all of the incoming injured. His eyes registered deep relief as he spotted Koji and Tetsuya.

"Ah, Tetsuya-san!" he said gratefully, "Master Koji. Thank you both for coming. We have just received another group of injured and there was simply no one left to triage them. Can you help us?"

"Of course we'll help," Tetsuya assured the elder healer.

The house healer nodded.

"They are over there…overflow from the Kuchiki camp infirmary."

"We've got them," Tetsuya said, turning towards the waiting group.

For the next several hours, Tetsuya and his attendant assessed and healed the group, first sorting them by the nature and urgency of the injuries. Tetsuya attended to the more seriously injured, conducting several field surgeries while his attendant worked at stabilizing the ones that had to wait longer for treatment. It was approaching morning when the two finished the last of the healing and took a brief respite in the commissary tent, where they ate and rested to restore themselves.

"Are you feeling all right, Tetsuya-san?" Koji asked as he watched his noble charge wipe at his forehead and Tetsuya sighed wearily, "You look very pale."

"Oh, I will be all right," Tetsuya assured the attendant, "It's just a strain to see all of these innocent people…not even just fighters, but healers…women and children…all treated with such violence, such viciousness. I know that years ago, our military committed an atrocity, trying to kill the remaining quincies, but it wasn't right for us to do it, and it wasn't any more right for them to do it. I just wish there could be an end to the fighting. So awfully many lives have been torn apart by these conflicts."

"I know," Koji agreed, slipping a comforting arm around his gentle master, "It wears on me too, but I am glad that the war is over. Soon…all of this will be a fading memory. We'll go back home…and…"

He gave Tetsuya a warmer smile.

"And Tetsuya-san can be married to Ichigo-sama."

The thought seemed to calm and hearten Tetsuya, and he smiled back at his longtime attendant. One pale hand slipped down to caress his slim abdomen, and he took a steadying breath.

"Koji, there is something I just must share with you. I discovered it only this morning, and I feel like I will burst if I do not tell someone."

Koji followed his master's gaze down to Tetsuya's caressing hand, and Koji's green eyes lit instantly with pure joy.

"You're having his child, Tetsuya-san!"

"I am," Tetsuya affirmed.

He looked out of the tent, into the brightening morning sky, his lips curving upward and his blue eyes hopeful.

"For the first time since the quincy horde dropped down on us and brought all of this suffering down on us, I feel hopeful for the future…for me and everyone who is in my heart. There have been so many losses, so much devastation, I was beginning to lose hope, but it grows again inside me, and I will embrace it and let myself be comforted."

"That is beautiful, Tetsuya-san!" Koji answered, his eyes glistening with happy tears, "I know that you and Ichigo-sama will be…"

He broke off, the wariness returning to his expression as a heavy rumble ran through the grounds. They ran out of the tent and Tetsuya's eyes ran around the edges of the camp, noting that the protective seal around the area had been strengthened and house guards were scrambling in all directions.

"Quincies!" shouted one of the men, "A rogue group. We are under attack!"

"They've cut us off from the main household!" cried another desperate voice, "Everyone get to the edges of the camp and fortify the seal."

Tetsuya sensed enemies coming in from several directions.

"Come Koji," Tetsuya urged his worried attendant, "There are mostly just healers here. We can help support the fighters."

Tetsuya moved in the direction in which he sensed the most powerful reiatsu, keeping his attendant close to his side as he drew his weapon.

"We are going to be overrun!" shouted a desperate voice, "There aren't enough of us to hold them off!"

"We have to break through and reach the main household!"

"They're breaking through the seal!"

"Why are they attacking an infirmary?"

Tetsuya reached the edge of the camp and left Koji to work at fortifying the seal, while he slipped outside and confronted the one he sensed to be the quincy group's leader. The white clad quincy's clothes were filthy and unkempt, and the man's pale eyes held only contempt.

"Why have you come here?" Tetsuya challenged him, holding his zanpakuto ready, "This is a refugee camp, an infirmary. There are only injured people and healers here."

"Hmm," the quincy mused, rubbing his chin, "and what about you? I can feel the power within you. You must be someone of importance…and even if you're not, we are here to avenge the murder of our leader and our troops!"

Tetsuya's frown deepened, but he remained where he was.

"It was the quincies who attacked our homes and people, using stealth to inflict the most possible damage. Your king meant to destroy us. He deserved the fate he brought down on himself."

"You dare to insult the great Ywach!" the quincy leader seethed, his eyes glinting.

"I mean to say that the quincies are responsible for starting this war. They came out of the shadows and began slaughtering people. We did nothing but defend ourselves. Go now. There is no one of interest to you here."

" _You_ interest me," the quincy sneered, "Tell me your name so that when I kill you, I can inform your relatives how I cut you down and tore your body apart!"

"I will do no such thing," Tetsuya answered, summoning his power around him as the quincy snarled and advanced, "Bankai, Tenba no Kishu, Rekuhime!"

Thundering hoofbeats sounded and a huge, black Arabian stallion appeared and galloped to join Tetsuya. The noble mounted as the quincies closed in, and he drove his weapon into the space between the wheeling horse's shoulder blades, making their power explode around them. The quincy leader's eyes widened as he watched Tetsuya's slender body disappear, and the horse grew to impossible size, sprouting black, feathered wings, a white horn and thick battle armor. The stallion reared and screamed in challenge, his burgeoning reiatsu spreading out to cover and protect the infirmary camp behind him. Sheets of sharp, deadly ice blades sprayed the incoming quincies, killing a number of them instantly and even scoring cuts on those protected by their blut.

"You are an interesting shinigami, aren't you?" the quincy rogue leader hissed, his eyes glowing with power, but even you are no match for us all. Prepare to die, nameless shinigami!"

The stallion screamed again, raking the enemies with another blast of ice blades, then he charged at the rogue leader, who laughed maniacally and motioned to his comrades to attack.

 _There are too many_ , Tetsuya realized, _Even my divine power won't defeat all of them…but…it will buy some time for help to arrive._

Several miles away, Byakuya and Renji came out of a sound sleep and sat up in Renji's bed, pale and exchanging horrified looks.

"Oh no…" Renji gasped, his mind seeing again the nightmare of Byakuya's gentle cousin being ripped apart by the enemy, "Oh god no…!"

Byakuya clenched at his chest, his face haunted as he surged to his feet.

"Tetsuya!"


	3. Pursuit

**Chapter 3: Pursuit**

 **(Thanks again to my lovely writing partner, SesshomaruFreak. Couldn't do it without you, babe!)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Warning: mentions of miscarriage and death**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Blind with urgency, Byakuya grabbed at his clothing, dressing hastily.

"Taicho," Renji managed in a low, rough voice as he also recovered his abandoned uniform and wrangled it into place, "You know we're still under curfew, because of the attacks."

"We're senior officers and there has been an attack on a noble family!" Byakuya snapped.

"But the orders are…"

"I don't _care_ what the orders are," the noble hissed icily, "I am going to my cousin!"

Renji scrambled to his feet to follow as Byakuya started to hurriedly navigate the ruins of the Sixth towards the exit.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go…"

Byakuya paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

" _You_ are remaining here, Renji."

"No!" the redhead objected, "No way are you going out there alone! I won't let you."

He flash stepped into Byakuya's path as the noble started towards the door.

"At least let me go with you," he argued, his cinnamon eyes meeting his taicho's.

"As you just pointed out, it is against orders, and it is unsafe. And what about the bodies that are awaiting removal to the fourth? You were distraught over them, so…"

"They're _dead_! I can't help them," Renji screamed in a pained sob, "but I can make sure that you and Tetsuya don't join them."

"You are in no condition, either physically or mentally right now to…"

"I don't care what you say, Taicho!" Renji howled, his reiatsu blazing around him, "You're not leaving without me!"

"Ridiculous," Byakuya said, turning away.

Renji had to call twice more before Byakuya paused. Renji slid to a stop in front on him. The haunted gray eyes glared at him.

"Why are you insisting on stopping me?! I must go to Tetsuya!"

Renji nodded, holding his hands up.

"Okay…okay, fine, we'll do that, both of us. But like you taught me, we need all the info we can get first. We should go to the infirmary and find out what happened."

Byakuya looked like he wanted to argue, but gave a resigned sigh.

"You're right. But, as I said before, I'll go - you need to stay here and rest."

Renji smirked despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Like Hell you're going anywhere without me at your side, Taicho. You need someone to cover your back; you taught me that, too."

The noble gave a short nod, clearly less than pleased to have his own words used against him. "You choose an inconvenient time to start listening to me, but…very well."

They flash-stepped to the infirmary where Tetsuya had been working, slowing as they felt the heavy pressure of fading quincy reiatsu and spotted a large number of bodies littering the ground, outside the barrier.

"My god," Byakuya said breathlessly, "Tetsuya…"

"He's not there," Renji said decisively, "We would have felt it if he died."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, his tortured eyes scanning the fallen bodies, "but where is he?"

Koji met them at the shielding area, eyes wide and wet.

"B-Byakuya-sama!"

"Koji," the Kuchiki leader said, taking the young man by the shoulders, "you must tell me everything that you witnessed here."

Koji nodded and started to speak, then choked up and let out a sob. His expression sympathetic, Renji pulled a water bottle out of his pack and offered it to the attendant.

"Thank you," Koji said gratefully, wiping at his teary eyes, "I'm sorry, Byakuya-sama. I know you were depending on me to protect Tetsuya-san. I wanted to go with him, but he forced me back, behind the barrier."

"It's fine," Byakuya assured him, "There is no one more invested in Tetsuya's well-being than you are. Tetsuya's divine power is young yet, and if he was convinced he must use that power, he would have known that it would endanger your life if you were with him. Now, I want you to think carefully, and tell us everything from the beginning."

Koji nodded, taking another sip of water before he continued.

"Tetsuya-san woke from resting and he sensed that the healers in the infirmary camp were being overwhelmed with new injured, so we dressed and went to the camp together to assist. But while we were there, we sensed the arrival of rogue quincy forces. There were protectors in the camp, but many were needed to hold the barrier shield and there weren't enough to send out to hold off the attackers, so Tetsuya-san left me behind the barrier, and…and he used _it_. He used his divine power. It was so bright and strong that even within the barrier, I was stunned and I could only watch as most of the enemies were overwhelmed and killed. But even so, some few were left, and before we could go to Tetsuya-san, he collapsed and was taken by the enemy survivors. If only I had been there with him!"

"If you had gone outside the barrier, you'd probably be dead," Renji concluded.

"Renji is right," Byakuya agreed, "There was nothing you could do."

Byakuya felt adrenaline coursing through him at the revelation that his cousin had been taken by the enemy.

 _We need to pursue them, but we must be cautious._

He turned to Renji, keeping his voice level.

"We must find them as soon as possible."

The redhead nodded.

"Or sooner. We'll need -"

Koji held out two small supply bags.

"Everything you'll need. I'll show you where I last sensed him."

Koji led them to the perimeter, where they found Ichigo looking around desperately. He spotted the group and flash stepped to meet them.

"Byakuya! Renji, Koji! Where's Tetsuya? I sensed his energy drop and now I can't find him!"

Byakuya saw Renji tense under Ichigo's ridiculously strong reiatsu flaring all over the place. He gestured at the orange-haired hero.

"Ichigo. You must calm down. We are going to find Tetsuya and bring him home safely."

Ichigo frowned.

"I'm coming with you! I should've been out here with him - this is my fault."

Just as Byakuya was about to deny his permission, Koji touched his arm. He took a deep breath and glanced around to make sure they were not in danger of being overheard.

"Byakuya-sama, Ichigo-sama, you should also know...Tetsuya-san is pregnant with the next Shiba heir."

Byakuya closed his eyes, chest aching as Ichigo's energy exploded in torment.

 _Would Tetsuya be able to stand losing another child? Kami, please don't let us be too late!_

"Renji, Ichigo we must hurry."

"Hai, Taicho."

"Yeah, let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"This had better be worth my time," the quincy Kaiser snapped softly as he followed a second quincy down a set of stairs, then along a white walled hallway to the Silbern palace infirmary.

"I assure you, Kaiser Muller," the other man answered as the two entered one of the treatment rooms, where an elderly quincy medic leaned over Tetsuya's naked and unconscious form, "this man will be of great interest to you. Oskar will explain."

He flinched as the Kaiser's head turned, exposing the left side of his face, that wore heavy damage to the raw, red flesh.

"It had better be a good explanation," he seethed, glaring at the pale and battered looking shinigami, "because all I see is a weakling whose reiatsu only circulates life supporting flow."

"He does right now," the old medic agreed, "however, this boy is reported to be the one who broke the back of our attacking rogue group single-handedly. He used a blinding, devastating ice power on a level that is quite astounding. Very few of the rogues survived. They were only able to retrieve this one, because he was alone outside the barrier when he collapsed after using that power."

The quincy leader moved closer, studying Tetsuya's comely face and the markings on his uniform and the back of one pale hand.

"He is a member of the Kuchiki clan," he reflected, "a house healer…it's odd that he was fighting. Or maybe the uniform is meant to deceive us. This marking on his hand, it radiates with the reiatsu of the Kuchiki leader, Byakuya, on whom we have much data. Have you identified him, Amsdel?"

"No," the quincy rogue answered, frowning, "Strangely, although we have extensive data on most of the powerful members of the clans, the files hold nothing on this man. He has a prison branding on the back of his right shoulder that reads, _Tetsuya_ , but there is no record of anyone by that name in our files."

"And why would there be?" the Kaiser mused, tapping a finger on his chin, "He wears the markings of a healer and apparently knows how to keep a low profile for just this reason. Oskar, why is he still unconscious? Was he damaged badly?"

"Well," said the medic, scratching the back of his neck, "he doesn't appear to have any major injuries, but his spirit centers are burned, likely from the use of the power that overcame our forces. His body has slipped into something that looks like a restorative state. I believe that he will sleep for a time, and that his powers will return as the damage to his body from the use of that power heals."

"Hmm…is there anything else of note?"

The medic nodded.

"This man is one of their breeder males. And appears to be with child."

The Kaiser's eyes widened.

"A breeder male?" he asked, "They are extremely rare."

"Also," Amsdel added, "he was seen by our spies at the Shiba estate, in the company of Kurosaki Ichigo."

The Kaiser's mahogany eyes rounded and the expression on his face burned with aroused curiosity.

"Oskar, are you able to tell if the child is Ichigo's?" he inquired.

"Yes, based on the reiatsu traces leaking out from the spirit chamber, this is Kurosaki Ichigo's child."

The Kaiser's lips curved into a cruel, wicked sneer.

"Oh," he growled contentedly, "You two have not disappointed me."

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji flash-stepped along with his companions, his stomach in knots and his heart aching painfully.

 _Tetsuya is pregnant? What if...what if being captured is too stressful? What if he gets hurt? What if those bastards don't take care of him? What if they just don't know how? It's not like they know anything about breeder males. Will they know or care if he's pregnant? What if they torture him?_

 _Oh kami, I don't wanna think about that!_

Renji's memory hurtled him back to the dusty streets of the low Rukon.

 _It was far too easy to lose a child on the streets. Hunger, weather, beatings...there were so many reasons that pregnancies rarely lasted among us urchins._

His throat tightened as he remembered one of his and Rukia's friends, the last one still alive at the time. The other two had already been buried on the cliff.

Rukia had been unaware of their friend's pregnancy, out gathering food in the woods when Kota had collapsed in Renji's arms in the cave.

 _"Kota, just hold on. We'll find a healer."_

 _"It's too late, Renji. It...it hurts so bad."_

 _Then Kota had thrown up blood, and Renji, torn between staying with his friend and seeking help, had held the trembling form close while thinking desperately._

 _But it'd been too late - in the midst of Renji's panic, Kota took a shuddering breath and went still._

Renji felt his eyes burn at the memory. At the same time, determination filled his soul.

 _It's not gonna be like that. No way are we gonna let that happen. We'll rescue Tetsuya and his baby, no matter what!_

As he flash stepped alongside Renji, the Kuchiki leader stole glances at his troubled subordinate, and he frowned at the instability that was evident in the redhead's reiatsu.

 _Renji was still not recovered from his injuries in the ending battles of the war, when he returned and became traumatized by the destruction he found at our headquarters. He has barely eaten and has slept poorly. I did him no favors by allowing us to cave in to our desires to comfort each other after everything. He is in no shape for an extended mission…and yet, I know he will refuse any order to go back. He won't allow himself to be taken from my side._

 _Stubborn fool…_

 _We both know he is not up to this, but I am desperate to find Tetsuya. I dare not delay things by starting a fight with my fukutaicho. I will watch him closely as we proceed._

 _I am not going to lose you, Renji…not to war, not to injury…and not to your grief._

"Wait a second!" Ichigo called out, "I sense something here. I feel Tetsuya's reiatsu here, but then…it just disappears! Still, I sense it radiating. It's strange. It feels like…like near the barrier."

"Near the barrier?" Byakuya inquired, "You mean you sense that he passed through here to somewhere else?"

"Yeah!"

Byakuya nodded and summoned a hell butterfly.

"Kurotsuchi taicho," he said to the insect, "I need you to scan the precipice world for traces of my cousin, Tetsuya's reiatsu. You will need to summon my house healer to bring you samples of his blood and reiatsu, as he is not in the files you have. As soon as possible, I need to know where he is, if he can be sensed. Please see to this immediately!"

He sent the hell butterfly soaring away.

"It won't do any good," said a quiet, male voice.

Byakuya's hand went immediately to his sword, but Renji and Ichigo objected quickly.

"It's okay! It's not an enemy," Ichigo assured him.

The Shiba heir nodded to the slim, white clad quincy that stood in front of them.

"Uryuu!"

"I'm sorry for startling you," the quincy youth apologized, "I sensed that Tetsuya was using his powers and I was trying to get to his location, but another rogue group attacked me."

"They attacked you?" Renji mused, "But you're a quincy! And aren't you supposed to be Ywach's successor?"

"I was," Uryuu confirmed, "I decided that I wasn't the leader that the quincies needed, and I abdicated. I had heard that Haschwald and Officer Bazzbee had survived somehow, and they were taken to Silbern. I imagined that Haschwald would succeed Ywach. I don't know what happened. I've been planning to go into the shadows to learn what is going on, but the rogue groups started attacking and I knew I had to be very careful or I would only become a casualty if I entered the shadows."

"Is that where they have taken my cousin?" Byakuya asked, looking into Uryuu's blue eyes, "They have carried him to Silbern?"

"If this is where the trail led you, then yes, Tetsuya has been taken to Silbern," Uryuu concluded.

Byakuya's frown deepened and his reiatsu thickened.

"Are you able to help us enter the shadows?" he asked, "I know that this is done using sun gate keys. Are you in possession of one and willing to help us?"

"I have a sun gate key," Uryuu affirmed, "but before any of us can enter the shadows, we have to go to Kisuke and have him prepare us suitably. It's going to be extremely dangerous, because the sun gates are guarded. There are only a few illegal gates that we can access, and we must not be sensed by the rogue quincies while we are passing through or we will only be captured and probably killed, ourselves. I'm willing to help, but I will need some help in return."

Byakuya looked back at him silently, waiting.

"I need to learn what has happened to Haschwald and Bazzbee. I know they were also alive and taken to the palace. If they live still, I want to find a way to help them."

"Why is that?" Byakuya asked, "These men were our enemies. Officer Bazzbee did work with us briefly to our mutual benefit, but we made no promises beyond that."

"Yeah, I'm aware," Uryuu concurred, "The thing is, I think that, with Ywach dead, Haschwald is going to focus on helping the quincies to survive. He doesn't have anything against the shingamis, and with Bazzbee backing him, he could become a powerful leader who will consider making peace with the shingamis. The war has been destructive to both our races. It's to everyone's benefit if we learn to live in peace."

"I believe this also," Byakuya agreed, "however…I wonder if Commander Haschwald will be trusted enough by our leadership to treat in earnest. Our leaders know that you were the one who enabled Ichigo to strike the Quincy king and render his power useless so that Ichigo's weapon could strike home. You have proven yourself."

"And I will be involved," Uryuu promised, "but remember that the quincies know what I did also. There are some among the remnants of the quincy noble families who will support me because Ywach killed their leaders in his bid to become king. But…others might still think of me as a betrayer."

"We will all have to tread cautiously," Byakuya concluded, "But, we must move quickly now. If you wish us to see Urahara Kisuke first, then let us go. Tetsuya is not just in danger for being a shingami."

"He's not?"

"No," Ichigo said somberly, "Tetsuya is pregnant with our baby. He's carrying the next Shiba heir."

Uryuu's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Then, there's not time to lose. Come on!"


End file.
